The present invention relates to small boats and, more particularly, to a propulsion and steering mechanism for a small, low powered boat.
Low powered boats have been heretofore proposed in which a central longitudinal channel is provided along the bottom of the boat. The channel is downwardly open at its fore and aft ends so as to be communicable with the water. A power driven propeller is positioned within the channel to propel water fore-to-aft through the channel and thereby advance the boat slowly through the water.
To steer boats of this general type it has been proposed to divert water flow to auxiliary channels which discharge at the side of the boat and thereby alter the course of travel of the boat. In this regard attention is directed to U.S. Sporri Pat. No. 3,610,197 issued Oct. 5, 1971, U.S. Egger Pat. No. 3,132,477 issued May 12, 1964, and U.S. Baggs Pat. No. 3,823,684 issued July 16, 1974, for disclosures of steering mechanisms operating generally in this fashion.
More particularly, it has been proposed in one instance to provide sidewardly extending passages which communicate at their inelt ends with the central channel and which open at opposite sides of the boat at their outlet ends. Longitudinally slidable gates are arranged at the passage inlets to open and close the passages. A separately actuable valve is mounted within the central channel downstream of the passage inlets and is swingable between open and closed positions. With the valve in a closed position, and with the communicate gates of only the portside passages open, water will be circulated through the portside passages to propel the boat sideways in a direction toward starboard. To propel the boat sideways in a direction toward port, the gates of only the starboard passages are opened. Besides requiring that separately actuable valve and gate members be actuated in order to divert the waterflow, such a steering arrangement does not enable the boat to be easily turned around.
Another proposal involves an annular array of valves which are actuated by a single upstanding lever. Associated with each valve is a passage through which water can be circulated, the passages being oriented to discharge water in different directions. The lever and valves are arranged such that when the lever is displaced in a particular direction one or more valves are actuated to eject water through one or more corresponding passages in order to propel the boat in the same direction in which the lever was displaced. Besides being complicated and costly, such a steering mechanism would apparently be able to turn the boat around only by a complicated procedure involving repeated actuations of the lever.
It will be appreciated that steering mechanisms of the above-described type are limited in their utility, being especially unable to quickly turn a boat around.
If a boat with such steering mechanisms were employed for fishing, for example, there would be no way to prevent fouling of a fishing line in instances where a hooked fish swims under the boat to the side opposite the fisherman's pole.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to minimize or obviate problems of this sort.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel steering mechanism for boats of the type earlier described.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel boat steering mechanism which is of simplified and inexpensive construction and operation and which enables the boat to be quickly and easily turned.